Procrastinating? Try These 3 Gentle Ways to Move Forward
Nancy 
"Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task."
— William James
Have you ever started a task with the best of intentions, only to suddenly find yourself drawn to something completely unrelated?
One minute it’s “I’m going to finish this presentation today,” and three minutes later it’s “Should I start a pottery business?" Or "Maybe I could move to Peru and raise llamas".
Like many, I'm no stranger to procrastination either. It's something I have to keep an eye on. Being a creative, multi-passionate, and curious learner doesn't make things easier.
Hello, shiny object syndrome!
Why do we delay or avoid doing some things, even when the consequences are dire? Let me know if you find out, because I have no clue.
And while there are many causes and reasons for procrastination, there are even more tools, tips, and training on overcoming it. But because complete elimination feels unrealistic and sounds like pressure, this post is from a slightly different angle: self-awareness and self-accountability with ease. Because tough love isn't a thing for some of us.
To mitigate the risk of you thinking, "Oh, a post on procrastination, nice. I'll read this later" (see what I did there) 😄, let's get straight to three pointers that can help us navigate the do-it-later lane.
1. Get Curious About What's Going on.
It's easy to beat ourselves up and experience guilt and shame attacks when we don't do what's at hand in the given moment.
But that only makes things worse.
Since learning about the power of self-compassion from Dr. Kristin Neff, a pioneering researcher in this field, I replaced the harsh inner critic with compassionate curiosity when looking at things like the habit of putting things off.
If you've been a procrastinator since childhood, it may have been made worse by overly authoritarian parents or teachers. Old programming could still be running in the background on a subconscious level. Just like a computer, we CAN upgrade programs.
And that's where self-awareness and accountability come in handy.
Understanding a habit can help us release or replace it.
The next time you catch yourself about to take a turn into procrastination lane, pause. Take a deep breath and ask yourself:
"What's really going on here?"
Are you already stretched thin, lacking a plan, or support? Is it fear of failure, success, or the unknown, or are you delaying because it's something you simply don't like doing?
Case in point, I don't like bookkeeping. Numbers tend to make me feel anxious, which leads to procrastination. I love the creative side of business, but if the numbers don't get done, there'll be nothing to be creative about! So, over the years, I've learned to reframe how I feel about bookkeeping, get support, and set up systems that make it enjoyable.
Get curious as though you were a compassionate observer, and explore what's behind the avoidance. Stream of consciousness journaling is a great way to get curious. It helps to be aware of how you're feeling about the thing you're putting off. Uncomfortable feelings are not inherently "bad"; they come and go. And Journaling is a gentle way to process and let feelings move through. After clearing your mind, do some gentle movements to release tension for the mind-body connection.
Taking a moment to get clear about what's going on helps you consciously exit procrastination lane sooner. Instead of coasting for hours, then bullying yourself into productivity.
2. Could You Just?
We've all seen our kids (or we've BEEN the kids) who never clean their rooms or put anything away. What happens? It all piles up. And pretty soon, what was once a simple task, just picking a pair of socks off the floor, becomes an overwhelming mountain that seems insurmountable.
As adults, we learn to put away things as we go. We take our plates to the dishwasher, put our clean socks straight into the sock drawer, or take the Twix wrapper to the kitchen trash can. These are simple microtasks we can handle immediately.
We can also apply the same microtask mindset to something that feels like a mountain.
"You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
In my Signature G.O.A.L.S.™ methodology, in the third step, A for Action, I talk about cleaning out the pipe and invite my clients to ask themselves, "Could I just?"...
- Declutter one drawer?
- Make one cold call today?
- Sit down and write one sentence?
When tempted to veer into the later lane, try this pattern interruption because the brain is naturally inclined to seek answers. Using the word just before the microstep makes the action in question sound doable. And that's how we eat an elephant - piece by piece. We kaizen the task and make small incremental progress. Once in flow, these microsteps add up and we get stuff done.
3. Keep Your Eyes on Success.
Simple strategies can sometimes be the ones that work best.
Best-selling author of The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin, shares a tip worth passing on: "On the top of a piece of paper, write down: By the end of today, I will have __________." This simple exercise gives you something to look forward to: the satisfaction of ticking off something on your to-do list.
Celebrate Your Success is step 7 in my G.O.A.L.S.™ methodology. The reward concept is woven into the whole process.
Consider adding how you'll reward yourself once you've completed the task. It can be a delicious cup of tea, putting your feet up, a walk, or briefly bonding with your preferred person. Let's not forget social media; 30 minutes (OK, an hour) of scrolling socials can sometimes feel like a treat after we get something done.
Rewarding yourself with moments of joy helps the brain associate completing the unpleasant task with happy hormones - aka dopamine.
Closing Thoughts
For many of us, the urge and tendency to put things off will probably never go away completely. Research suggests that procrastination can be beneficial at times, as it serves a purpose. But exploring what that purpose is would be a whole different topic for another day...
And while there are countless ways to manage or overcome chronic procrastination, there's no one-size-fits-all. Finding what works best for you is a fun individual experiment we can do.
On my end, this is a task that's been marked as completed for today. YAY! Time for a reward. So as I head out to catch some evening sommer rays and top up on melanin, here's to less time in the avoidance lane and more time in the flow and joy lane.
Meanwhile, I'd be curious to hear your take on procrastination. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below. Or do you prefer to do that later? 😉
Thanks for being here today. As always, you're welcome to share your thoughts below. I enjoy reading them.
Also, consider this resource to implement tip #1. Journaling is such an underrated self-awareness tool. The prompts help with the "what do I even write" obstacle.
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